Implantable medical device system with minimization of energy employed for processing data

• US 20030163173A1
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical AB (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical AB (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lindberg, Magnus, Arturson, Mats
• Granted Patent: US 7,113,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/025 Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/372 Arrangements in connection with the implantation of stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37229 Shape or location of the implanted or external antenna
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data

Abstract

In a method for operating a system having an implantable medical device that communicates by wireless telemetry data exchange with an external unit, an algorithm is employed, selecting either an internal calculation processor in the implantable device or an external calculation processor in the external unit for accomplishing a given data processing. If the sum of an estimated amount of energy to process the data in the internal calculation processor and an estimated amount of energy required to then transmit an expected amount of result data to the external unit exceeds an estimated amount of energy required to transmit the source data to the external unit, the external calculation processor is selected. Otherwise, the internal calculation processor is selected. The method thereby results in a minimal energy consumption in the implantable medical device. This, in turn, allows for a device with a long battery lifetime and thus an improved patient comfort.

Claims

1. A method for operating an implantable medical device system having an implantable medical device which includes a first calculation processor and an external unit, in wireless communication with said implantable medical device, including a second calculation processor, said method comprising the steps of:

identifying a processing task involving processing of source data into result data and presenting said result data at said external unit; and

executing a selection algorithm in one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor to select one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor to perform said processing task.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of executing said selection algorithm includes the steps of:

estimating a first estimated energy amount for performing said processing task in said first calculation processor, estimating a size of the result data resulting from said processing task, and including, in said first estimated energy amount, energy for transmitting said result data of said estimated size wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit;

estimating a second energy amount for transmitting source data needed for said processing task wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit; and

comparing said first estimated energy amount and said second estimated energy amount and selecting said first calculation processor to perform said processing task if said first estimated energy amount is less than said second estimated energy amount and selecting said second calculation processor for performing said processing task if said second estimated energy amount is less than said first estimated energy amount.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the step of estimating said first energy amount includes estimating an amount of processing required to generate said result data in said first calculation processor.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wirelessly communicate via a channel between a first wireless interface in said implantable medical device and a second wireless interface in said external unit, and wherein the step of estimating said first estimated energy amount takes a current capacity of said channel into account and wherein the step of estimating said second estimated energy amount also takes said current capacity of said channel into account.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wirelessly communicate via a channel between a first wireless interface disposed in said implantable medical device and a second wireless interface disposed in said external unit, and wherein the step of executing said selection algorithm includes taking into account an amount of overhead data required to transmit at least one of said source data and said result data via said channel from said first wireless interface to said second wireless interface.

14. A computer readable medium as claimed in claim 1 wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wireless communicate via a channel between a first wireless interface in said implantable medical device and a second wireless interface in said external unit, and wherein said selection algorithm estimates said first estimate energy amount by taking a current capacity of said channel into account and estimates said second estimated energy amount also by taking said current capacity of said channel into account.

6. A computer program for operating an implantable medical device system having an implantable medical device which includes a first calculation processor and an external unit, in wireless communication with said implantable medical device, including a second calculation processor, said computed program being loadable into said first and second calculation processors and, after identifying a processing task involving processing of source data into result data and presenting said result data at said external unit, said computer program executing a selection algorithm in one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor to select one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor to perform said processing task.

7. A computer program as claimed in claim 6 wherein executing said algorithm includes:

estimating a first estimated energy amount for performing said processing task in said first calculation processor, estimating a size of the result data resulting from said processing task, and including, in said first estimated energy amount, energy for transmitting said result data of said estimated size wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit;

estimating a second energy amount for transmitting source data needed for said processing task wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit; and

comparing said first estimated energy amount and said second estimated energy amount and selecting said first calculation processor to perform said processing task if said first estimated energy amount is less than said second estimated energy amount and selecting said second calculation processor for performing said processing task if said second estimated energy amount is less than said first estimated energy amount.

8. A computer program as claimed in claim 7 wherein said selection algorithm estimates said first energy amount by estimating an amount of processing required to generate said result data in said first calculation processor.

9. A computer program as claimed in claim 6 wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wirelessly communicate via a channel between a first wireless interface in said implantable medical device and a second wireless interface in said external unit, and wherein said selection algorithm estimates said first estimated energy amount by taking a current capacity of said channel into account and estimates said second estimated energy amount also by taking said current capacity of said channel into account.

10. A computer program as claimed in claim 6 wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wirelessly communicate via a channel between a first wireless interface disposed in said implantable medical device and a second wireless interface disposed in said external unit, and wherein said selection algorithm takes into account an amount of overhead data required to transmit at least one of said source data and said result data via said channel from said first wireless interface to said second wireless interface.

11. A computer readable medium having a computer program stored therein for operating an implantable medical device system having an implantable medical device which includes a first calculation processor and an external unit, in wireless communication with said implantable medical device, including a second calculation processor, said computer readable medium having respective portions loadable into said first and second calculation processors and, after identifying a processing task involving processing of source data into result data and presenting said result data at said external unit, causing execution of a selection algorithm in said computer program in one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor to select one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor to perform said processing task.

12. A computer readable medium as claimed in claim 11 wherein execution of said algorithm includes:

estimating a first estimated energy amount for performing said processing task in said first calculation processor, estimating a size of the result data resulting from said processing task, and including, in said first estimated energy amount, energy for transmitting said result data of said estimated size wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit;

estimating a second energy amount for transmitting source data needed for said processing task wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit; and

comparing said first estimated energy amount and said second estimated energy amount and selecting said first calculation processor to perform said processing task if said first estimated energy amount is less than said second estimated energy amount and selecting said second calculation processor for performing said processing task if said second estimated energy amount is less than said first estimated energy amount.

13. A computer readable medium as claimed in claim 12 wherein said selection algorithm estimates said first energy amount by estimating an amount of processing required to generate said result data in said first calculation processor.

15. A computer readable medium as claimed in claim 11 wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wirelessly communicate via a channel between a first wireless interface disposed in said implantable medical device and a second wireless interface disposed in said external unit, and wherein said selection algorithm takes into account an amount of overhead data required to transmit at least one of said source data and said result data via said channel from said first wireless interface to said second wireless interface.

16. A medical device system comprising:

an implantable medical device which includes a first calculation processor;

an external unit, in wireless communication with said implantable medical device, including a second calculation processor; and

after identifying a processing task involving processing of source data into result data and presenting said result data at said external unit, one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor executing a selection algorithm to select one of said first calculation processor and said second calculation processor to perform said processing task.

17. A medical device system as claimed in claim 16 wherein said one of said first and second calculation processors that executes said selection algorithm:

estimates a first estimated energy amount for performing said processing task in said first calculation processor, estimates a size of the result data resulting from said processing task, and includes, in said first estimated energy amount, an estimated energy for transmitting said result data of said estimated size wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit;

estimates a second energy amount for transmitting source data needed for said processing task wirelessly from said implantable medical device to said external unit; and

compares said first estimated energy amount and said second estimated energy amount and selects said first calculation processor to perform said processing task if said first estimated energy amount is less than said second estimated energy amount and selects said second calculation processor for performing said processing task if said second estimated energy amount is less than said first estimated energy amount.

18. A medical device system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said one of said first and second calculation processors that executes said selection algorithm estimates said first energy amount by estimating an amount of processing required to generate said result data in said first calculation processor.

19. A medical device system as claimed in claim 16 wherein said implantable medical device contains a first wireless interface and wherein said external unit contains second wireless interface, and wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wirelessly communicate via a channel between said first wireless interface and said second wireless interface, and wherein said one of said first and second calculation processors that executes said selection algorithm estimates said first estimated energy amount by taking a current capacity of said channel into account and estimates said second estimated energy amount also by taking said current capacity of said channel into account.

20. A medical device system as claimed in claim 16 wherein said implantable medical device contains a first wireless interface and wherein said external unit contains second wireless interface, and wherein said implantable medical device and said external unit wirelessly communicate via a channel between said first wireless interface and said second wireless interface, and wherein said one of said first and second calculation processors that executes said selection algorithm takes into account an amount of overhead data required to transmit at least one of said source data and said result data via said channel from said first wireless interface to said second wireless interface.